Monthly Archives: May 2014

Far too often, drummers have been given the shaft. Second to only, maybe, bassists, they’re the member in the band considered most replaceable: you can just pull some chump off the street, sit him behind a kit, and on with the show. According to science, however, drummers aren’t the mouth-breathing neanderthals humorists have made them out to be. News and analytics site PolyMic compiled a group of studies that indicate drummers are not only generally smarter than their bandmates, they actually make everyone around them smarter too.

The research suggests that drummers have innate problem-solving skills and a positive impact on communities. Researchers at Stockholm’s Karolinska Institutet found that, after playing a series of beats, drummers who had better rhythm scored better on a 60-question intelligence test. Seems using all the various parts of a drum kit to keep one steady beat is actually an expression of intrinsic problem-solving abilities.

It’s Monday, and I don’t have to go anywhere until tonight. My lesson student broke his arm the other day, so no guitar lessons today. No matter, because I still have a loaner CX-9 that gets about 18mpg. I’ve put $40 worth of gas into this thing since last Wednesday, and I was supposed to only have it overnight. So we’re on day 5 of a 1 day repair. Oh that $40? It only filled the tank halfway.

I have had actual possession of my month-old Mazda3 for a total of 11 days. It’s been a downhill slide of bad luck since I signed the papers, and I really want my old car back.

No, that’s stupid.

These things happen. I realize that in five blog posts I’ve ranted about my misfortune, played what seems like a “Oh poor me, please feel sorry for me.” card. Wrong.

The truth is, this string of events was completely coincidental and random. What some might call a string of bad luck is actually a series of events that occur based on previous events. There is no point asking why all this happened. It did. It was nothing compared to the suffering some people go through every day without a word. It’s why I tagged some of these as ‘First World Problems.’

We all have something inside of us that calls for attention. The social media age makes this worse, because we’ve replaced human interaction with computers, as I’m doing right now. But do you know what this string of “bad luck” has done for me? It’s forced me to face my own stupidity, my own fears, and my own childishness. Real men will rise up and lead with courage when the chips are down, and I’ve used this time to do my best to get there. I’ve decided that I can no longer be the grown man-child I was before, making fart noises and faces… um… er, OK so I still make fart noises and make faces. I’m working on it.

Triumph over adversity comes from taking what you perceive as a crisis and remaining calm and collected as you step back and plan a response instead of taking the knee-jerk reaction the flesh desires so much. Some people lose their lives in an accident. Others lose the ability to walk. I lost time and that’s about it.

At any moment, this life could end. None of us are promised tomorrow. Now I’ll put the computer down and go do something constructive or helpful . Thanks for reading!

So the car isn’t done and I’m without a vehicle. It’s Easter weekend so maybe it won’t matter.

DAY 22 – April 19, 2014

I was called by the collision center shop manager and told that everything looked perfect on the car but it would not align properly. Seeing as I prefer a car to steer in the direction I turn the wheel, and I can control it better if the tires are NOT worn out, I told him that I’d be patient and they could do whatever they needed. They overnighted a new lower control arm which would take about 3 days to get there, naturally. That puts the completion date to Tuesday. Not bad, I thought. I could use my wife’s car early in the week. As long as I had it done before I had to go back to the school building.

DAYS 23 – 26 April 20 – 23 2014

I have a new appreciation for families who get by on one car. We have two boys and my crazy odd job schedule of multiple employments makes the mix exhausting after only a few days. My heart goes out to larger families who have to get around with only one set of wheels. In case you’re wondering, my car isn’t done yet.

DAY 27 – April 24, 2014 (Thursday)

I had to cancel my after-school piano lesson because I had no way to get to the student’s house. I had plans to watch the boys while Kelly went out with a friend. Since we had a packed schedule, it was natural for the shop to call and let me know my car was finally done. Sure enough, double the original estimate in cost and add almost 7 extra days and that thing was as perfect as the day I saw it come off the truck. I love my wife. She altered her plans to help me get this thing back. If she hadn’t, I would have had to leave my finished car in their possession for an entire weekend. I drove the car home, and it felt as though I was getting a new car all over again.

DAY 28-33 – April 25-30 2014

For the first time in the month since I let go of my old car, things seem normal. Oh wait, I forgot. The antenna is still a tad loose and there are paint swirls in the top left by the dealership. I better return the salesman’s call he left me a few days ago.

DAY 34 – May 1, 2014

I have a loaner car. The dealership set up an appointment to repair the paint damage and firmly secure that loose antenna. My salesman set up an appointment and hooked me up with a loaner car. This time it’s a 2013 Mazda CX-9, a massive turbocharged SUV with all-wheel drive. It’s not my cup of tea, but it drives better than those Subarus I test drove. It better with a sticker price of about $42,000. He told me it would take about a day to get the work done. I nodded as if I believed him.

I think this is where I left off. The rental car was a Honda Civic LX, one of the worst cars I’ve ever driven in my life. The design was terrible and it felt like it had a lawnmower engine powering it. It was good on gas though, as I think it had a lawnmower engine in it. Not being smart enough to have rental reimbursement insurance on my own policy, I decided to use a discount coupon and pay for an up to 10-day rental. That’s all I needed anyway. Even with the waiting, the damage estimate came in at about $2000 and 5 days to repair.

DAYS 13 – 20 April 10-16, 2014

During this time period, I learned to hate the rental car even more and wonder why anyone would ever buy a Honda Civic, then I realized that many people don’t have to drive as much as me, and they aren’t willing or able to buy anything nicer. Besides, most people are less of a lunatic than I am and don’t put much into what their cars do. Personally, I want the thrill of having to control a machine that could kill me. I really wish I could drive a car that really does want to kill me, and force it to submit. That’s why I’d really want a Lamborghini someday. eh, the insurance and maintenance on one of those would break many a hedge fund so I’ll listen to the small bit of sensibility I have and believe that a fantasy car is just that.

DAY 20 – April 16, 2014

The collision center called and said everything looked great, the repair was coming along well, and that I’d be done on Friday the 18th. PERFECT, as that’s the day I have to return the rental.

DAY 22 – April 18, 2014

I decided to check in with the collision center and I was told it was still good to go and that they’d call me when its done. I sensed they don’t like customers badgering them to rush a job, which is why I was fine with leaving them alone. I knew they closed at 6 so I went back to the rental shop, turned in my crappy Civic (Note to Honda owners, I’m complaining about a fleet vehicle. I’m sure real Hondas ae much better than this) and got a ride back to the shop. They told me they needed a bit more time and I could hang out or wander around. I decided to go grab some dinner. While I was having a killer burger, I got the call that the car would not be done. I was about 4 miles from home. Man, that long of a walk after a big juicy burger wouldn’t be easy. Thank God my friend Isaac came through and gave ma ride home. This part turned out better than it looked.

After a few hours at the dealership, seeing the exact car in question arrive on the back of a truck, and after declining all of the dealer’s extra costly options, I signed the papers to purchase a 2014 Mazda3 sGT. While I waited to have the car prepped, I was making mental notes of every bit of inconvenience thrown in front of me, and how I would fill out the precious “Dealer Survey” that would be arriving in the mail. (note, It’s May and I’ve never gotten that promised survey form) By the end of the business day, I was given a thorough overview of the car and sent on my way. I got home just as it was getting dark, but that’s when I noticed the damaged antenna.

DAY 4 – April 1, 2014

Went to get the title for my old car which I traded in. Did you know that Ohio title offices close at noon on Mondays? The dealership sure didn’t. My credit union took my original title certificate when I borrowed against it, and converted it to an e-title, which exists only in ones and zeroes. I had to go pay for another paper title. When I returned to the dealership, with about 34 miles on the odometer and a total of an hour behind the wheel, the salesman saw the damaged antenna. It’s a sharkfin design, supposedly to be more aerodynamic, and to prevent damage when going through a car wash. Well they blamed the damage on the car wash, The thing was lifted up off the roof which had a slight dent in it. They said their carwash pulled up on it. They also noticed about an inch long smudge of residue from the factory protective membrane that new cars are covered with before transport. They promised to buff that out. They gave me a 2-y-o loaner car and sent me on my way with a promise that it’d be done in about 2 days.

DAY 5 – April 2, 2014

Got the new car back, but the antenna was still a bit loose. Dent was fixed and no more smudge. OK, things were starting to look up.

DAYS 6 & 7 – April 3 & 4 2014

Rain. Lots of it. I was still on spring break so I did not have much driving to do.

DAY 8 – April 5, 2014

This is my third full day of ownership and there are now about 150 miles on the odometer. It’s supposed to be a nice weekend, so I’ll drive to KY to show my family.

DAYS 9 & 10 – April 6 & 7 2014

Had a nice visit in KY. It was sunny out so I was finally able to see all the paint swirls buffed into the roof. One tiny residue smudge that would probably have worn off in the rain was converted into an entire roof of half-assed rubbing compound damage, typical of a 13 year old waxing a go cart and forgetting how to do the job correctly. I thought labor laws prevented young, untrained people from working on new cars. Meanwhile, I’m growing frustrated by my car’s infotainment system, which never remembers where my iPod left off, but constantly restarts the first track every time. It’s OK, though. nothing to let myself get frustrated over. I drove home on the 7th and came closer to the 600 mile mark, which the owner’s manual says is the break in period.

DAY 11 – April 8, 2014

I finally feel like this is for real, that I have my car and I’m going to enjoy the next 10-15 years of ownership. I’m starting to think it was a good decision instead of second guessing my trading in the old car. I mean, less than 170k, only needing a clutch and struts, the ’02 Protege5 could have lasted me another decade. But the new one is nicer, safer, and I had saved money for about seven years toward an eventual car purchase. I was even able to keep that held back when I went through unemployment. Maybe it was a good decision. It was a beautiful day and I felt good, so naturally it was time for me to have a car accident.

DAY 12 – April 9, 2014

My brand new car has a smashed right rear corner. In Ohio, if you’re in an intersection waiting to turn left, and the light turns green, you’re supposed to wait for everyone who runs the red light in the opposite direction. I did, and when I had the gap, I turned, seeing nothing. It was only halfway through the turn when I could see one more car gunning it to beat the cross traffic and blow the red light. Never mind. He hit me, but I was the one turning. This is one more reason why witnesses need to come forward instead of texting “OMG, I jst saw a car crsh!” to their friends. The car was barely drivable, so no need for a tow, but I could tell it was messed up pretty bad.

The adjuster came out, I set up the appointment at the collision center and secured a rental, all before I had to go to work. No wait, I didn’t get all that done until well past 3:00 in the afternoon.

In the next post, I’ll give you… I have no idea. Just read on and you’ll see.

I’ve been researching for over nine months. There’s nothing I really want that I can afford to replace my car of a dozen years and almost 170k miles. I’m in need of repairs (clutch, struts) that will cost more than the value of the car. Maybe it’s time to do some test drives and see if I like any of the ones that I could see buying, even though they aren’t exactly what I want. I’ll start with Mazdas since my old one is a 2002 Protege5 and I’ve loved every minute of it. Today I test drove two 2014 Mazda3’s and they were more impressive than I thought they’d be.

DAY 2 – March 30, 2014

Test drove some Subarus. Loved almost everything about them except the transmissions put them into the NEVER column for me. Too sluggish and rubbery. Went to a different Mazda dealership and tested the higher end 3 with the bigger engine and more bells and whistles. In a word? Wow. Loved it. Even though it’s only available in an automatic which I think is akin to learning to drive a car without a steering wheel in terms of stupidity. Hey, car companies, I want a stick with a proper clutch pedal. You want me to keep buying cars in the future? KEEP MAKING THEM. However, this car’s automatic performs as good or better than a lot of manuals, and I firmly believe car companies are building cheaper manuals in order to get people to convert over. Sorry idiots, you’re not fooling me. I might end up with an auto this time, but not forever.

DAY 3 – March 31, 2014

Deciding I might not ever buy a car again. It’s a huge purchase and I hate settling on things I don’t want just to get something new. That said, I loved that Mazda 3 so much, I’m going to put a few dealerships at war over a price. Two came through and actually responded, one did not.

The long story of this day is that I finally got the deal I wanted and it was local. I might post about the antiquated experience of working with a dealership and salesman, but remembering it is almost as bad as pulling my own eyes out of their sockets. Dealerships, stop your games. People like me know what you’re doing, we know the odds are in your favor, so when we agree on a deal, don’t set up all these extra hoops hoping we’ll sign and go away. This is why I support Tesla in every way and why I won’t have the slightest bit of sympathy when car dealerships go the way of full service gas stations.

But I’m making this too long for one post. I’ll end this one, give readers a chance to rest, then unleash the hell that was about to unfold. There I go again, calling it a hell when it was more of a series of first world problems. Hopefully my month of misery will be entertaining to you. Coming shortly…